Latest from Laura A. Bischoff

Throughout Ohio and across the country Wednesday, students locked arms in solidarity toward the victims of the Feb. 14 school shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. But there is little solidarity among the candidates running for Ohio governor about what to do about school shootings, or gun violence in general...

E. Gordon Gee is under scrutiny at West Virginia University for spending more than $2-million on private jet travel — a practice that the Dayton Daily News detailed when he led Ohio State University. Gee, who has been president of WVU since March 2014, spent more than $2.2 million between May 2014 and June 2017, including 31 trips to...

The Ohio Parole Board voted 6-4 to recommend that Gov. John Kasich show mercy to convicted killer William Montgomery by commuting his death sentence. The 21-page report was issued to the governor on Friday. Supporters of Montgomery are raising claims that he is actually innocent in the murders of Debra Ogle and Cynthia Tincher in March 1986...

Ohio lawmakers are considering giving a $2,000 tax credit to parents who experience a stillbirth, a policy that would cost $1.8 million a year in foregone revenues to the state. Supporters of House Bill 507 say that the tax credit would help families who lose a baby 20 or more weeks into pregnancy deal with medical bills, counseling expenses...

Thousands of students across the nation walked out of class today to draw attention to school safety, gun control, and the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. Scheduled around 10 a.m. at schools across America, the events vary widely locally depending on school districts and individual schools, with...

Democrat lawmakers and advocates for workers want to increase Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, which would mean a pay hike for 1.8 million Ohioans. But the supporters readily admitted that there is little appetite for such a move among business groups and Republicans who control the Ohio General Assembly. Don Boyd, director...

Mary Taylor beat out Mike DeWine for the endorsement of the Miami County Republican Convention on Sunday. The two Republicans are running for governor in the May 8 primary. DeWine attended the meeting at Edison State Community College, but Taylor sent her running mate, Nathan Estruth. Taylor now has the backing of Miami and Clermont counties...

In Ohio’s 215 years of statehood, Republican Nancy P. Hollister is the first and only woman to serve as governor. Forgive yourself if her name doesn’t ring a bell: Hollister held the post for just 11 days, filling in when George Voinovich moved to the U.S. Senate and Bob Taft had yet to start his term in January 1999. Some are...

After a 10-year battle in the Ohio Statehouse to give victims of dating violence the chance to get civil protection orders in the courts, Gov. John Kasich is expected to sign House Bill 1 into law. Ohio and Georgia are the only states that don’t extend protections afforded to victims of domestic violence to victims of dating violence...

The four men running in the Democratic primary for governor jabbed and sparred for 90-minutes in a debate this week. Here are key things we learned about the candidates and the issues. 1. Dennis Kucinich has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad multiple times over the past decade as a Congressman and as a FoxNews contributor. As recently...

The four men running in the Democratic primary for Ohio governor agreed on plenty of issues but it sure didn’t sound like it in their first debate. Bill O’Neill called Richard Cordray “Prince Richard,” saying that the Ohio Democratic Party is ready for a coronation. Joe Schiavoni hammered Dennis Kucinich for repeatedly...

The Ohio House voted 90-2 in favor of a state capital budget bill that calls for spending $2.62-billion over two years on school buildings, sports complexes, prison maintenance and state parks. The bill includes $600 million for K-12 schools, $438 million for higher education, and $222 million for health initiatives such as women’s...

Miamisburg nurse Christina Hole, whose heroics helped save lives at the Las Vegas mass shooting, was honored by Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday during his final State of the State address. Kasich gave Hole a Governor’s Courage Award, recognizing her role in helping save concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival. On Oct. 1...

Seven years after his inaugural State of the State address, Gov. John Kasich is likely to take stock of how Ohio has fared on his watch during his last status report in Westerville Tuesday night. Ohioans have seen progress on a number of fronts to improve the quality of life and job prospects here, particularly when considering that the Republican...

Frustrated by a lack of action by state lawmakers, advocates led by a Springfield pastor seeking limits on payday lending took the initial step last week toward asking Ohio voters to approve the reforms. Leaders of the effort submitted petition language and signatures from about 2,000 Ohio voters to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office...

Parents from one end of Ohio to the other dread that one phone call about a crash involving another teen at the wheel. It came in November 2012 for the parents of three Bellbrook High School girls killed after a 17-year-old boy lost control of an extended cab Dodge pickup truck loaded with six teenagers. It came last October when a Greenon...

More than 131,000 Ohioans got their licenses last year to carry concealed weapons — 77,281 new ones and 54,064 renewals, according to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. The total licenses issued in 2017 was down 34.5 percent over the nearly 118,000 issued in 2016 and slightly below the five-year average. Since Ohio’s concealed...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is backing six gun control measures that he believes have a support from both sides of the debate and that hopes will help end the horror of American mass shootings. Kasich brushed aside questions about hard line opposition to gun control. “It’s a different day,” he said. The governor will ask the Ohio...

The Ohio Senate on Wednesday voted 27-5 in favor of a bill that calls for the first major overhaul in the state’s child support system since 1992. The system is rife with problems, including $4.5 billion in unpaid child support going back to 1976 and an outdated formula that some think drives non-custodial parents into the underground...

Frustrated a lack of action by state lawmakers, advocates seeking limits on payday lending took the initial step on Wednesday toward asking Ohio voters to approve the reforms. Leaders of the effort submitted petition language and signatures from about 2,000 Ohio voters to the Ohio attorney general’s office. Once certified by state officials...